Bird Table Help

chez22

I've got a quite substantial bird table, my cats wrecked the last one by taking flying leaps at it. It was about £30 but unfortunately my cats love sitting on it so I got a bird feeding station as well. It is a long metal pole with hooks on for feeders etc and cats can't get anywhere near it. I thought the smaller birds could use it and the larger birds could use the table. The local squadron of wood pigeons didn't agree and all try to squeeze onto a tiny seed tray only big enough for one. I don't think they have a single brain cell between them.

I can recommend the bird food and feeders from wilko, the prices are reasonable and quality is quite good, I don't get a lot of waste. I buy the seed, peanuts, sunflower hearts (excellent food for lots of birds), fat balls, suet blocks and dried mealworms (a LOT cheaper than anywhere else).

One thing which is essential and will really help birds is a bird bath or access to water, even an upturned dustbin lid is fine. It must be sited in the open as birds won't use it unless they feel safe.

As already mentioned hygiene is important for the birds' health and your own.

During the nesting season always put peanuts in a mesh feeder, I also remove the mesh from fat balls and put them in a feeder so small birds don't get entangled. I don't feed suet blocks in summer as fledgelings (especially starlings) gorge themselves on it. Don't forget to put food on the ground (if safe) as many birds are ground feeders. I put out chopped apples for blackbirds, they really love them.

Takoda

We've got 2 - a ground feeder which has wire mesh and stands about 3 inches off the ground and a hanging little house with a roof that hangs from a tree branch. Gardman were the brand for both and they are good and strong and not too dear.

hethmar

Yes a bird bath is lovely - we have to clean ours out every day as it can get quite murky with all the birds lining up with their towels over their wings Lovely to watch them.

YorkiePud_3

Went to Wilkos (couldn't find a young male assistant to ask him that question tho ... ha ha ha!!) ... their mealworms are 50p cheaper than the ones in Morrisons.
B & M are cheaper still, but you don't get as many in a tub.

Just wanted to say ... if you put a shiny 2p piece in your bird baths it stops that green yuck forming!
The birds don't bother with it either, so don't worry about that!

I was a bit sus when someone told me, but for the past three weeks I have had a large earthernware dish of water out for the birds with a 2p piece in and not one bit of green has formed.

I just tip it to rinse it and then refill ...easy peasy!

summerday

Hope someone might be able to suggest how to encourage the finches to come and feed from the feeder I put out 2 days ago? We bought a special tube one for the finches, with Nijer seed and other seeds mixed in and hung it from a tree branch, quite far from the house, but so far I haven't seen a single bird even approach it, let alone feed. Our garden backs on to woodland so there a lot of birds around and I wwas really hoping to come and see them feed. Am I just been impatient or doing something wrong?

icky15

If you want to pad out your expensive wild bird seed, try mixing in a good quantity of the cheaper porridge oats (the cheaper kind which comes in 'own brand' plastic bags). All types of bird love it and it won't break the bank.

financequest

I was putting 2 5cm fat/seed balls in my mesh feeder every 2 days, 4 or 5 local Magpies were not giving the smaller birds a look in. So bought a couple of cheap wire hanging baskets from Wilko(£1.49 each).These come with chain supports attached with small spring clips. Using these spring clips, I clipped the 2 baskets together to make a wire ball. The original mesh feeder 12X12X4cm was suspened in the middle of the ball using some of the spare chain and a large elastic band. Whole lot then suspended from a branch. Works a treat, Magpies gave up after 1 hr.